Is the sun shining yet?

Today I am blogging from my sick bed. I seem to have spent a large part of this year feeling distinctly under the weather until last week when I well and truly hit the wall and under the weather became 'flu. Like proper grown up 'flu. If I wasn't feeling so ill I would be quite impressed at my body's ability to completely floor me in this unexpected way. I started January in such high spirits but the last few months have seen me forced to slow down a bit. Like everyone else, I am blaming the weather. Has there been a winter quite like this in recent memory?

 

I am feeling a bit better today and just wanted to post some images of the work students did on my Handmade Art Journals workshop a few weekends ago. The weather was freezing but everyone made it in and we had such a fun weekend playing with paints, inks, fabric scraps and found imagery.

One of the very best things about teaching these workshops is how inspiring I find them. For me teaching isn't about me imparting information and students copying what I do; it's more like an exchange of ideas. They take the techniques I show them in whole new directions, they filter them through their own unique skill set and come up with things I would never have thought of. I always leave these workshops completely amazed at the beauty of the work that's produced as well as buzzing with new ideas of my own. It highlights one of the things I have always believed: that creativity doesn't exist in a vacuum, it needs feeding and watering regularly and teaching does that for me.

 

Sketchbook pages

The woodland scene tonal sketches have been done as preliminary groundwork for a much larger than normal watercolour painting. The first three pencil outlines are for my watercolour class next week, the theme is windows and doors- not for the first time am I wondering whether I have made things a bit hard for my poor students.

Rather annoyingly there is also a smudge of something on the lens of my camera which is very noticeable in the first three images. What's a girl to do?

The flat hunt is on hold for a bit. It was taking up all of my emotional energy and my attitude towards my art had been "I'll just wait until I'm settled somewhere new and then I'll make a start". I hadn't even realised I'd done this until a week ago when I realised I hadn't painted anything for ages. No wonder I was feeling a little fraught. And dreaming about Farrow and Ball painted walls.

Snow fatigue

I know it was only a week ago but the snow feels like it's been here forever. I am an unfortunate individual who lives within walking distance of her place of employment, hence no snow days, not one. I have trudged in and schlepped home and spent 30 minutes everyday trying to get my wellies off. It's just so draining. There's a smidgen of the January blues in there somewhere but, today, I feel them lifting.

I have been having the most fabulous time making class samples on how to build up texture and use different materials for collage, not with the purpose of painting some image on top, but just to play, for itself. I found myself, at 11pm last night, elbow deep in mod roc, plaster, acrylic paint, PVA and bits of lace. It was great. I think (tentatively) that they may become pieces of "proper" work as class samples often do.

I have also started thinking about what this year will bring, particularly in terms of where I will be living in a few months. I have started checking the paper for that roomy period apartment that just happens to be in my price range. It might sound silly, but I am so excited at the prospect of buying my own sofa.

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. Hopefully I'll post regularly now, and not just about food, but, y'know, actual art n stuff.